The Military & Aerospace Can Save Money Using COTS Parts

The military and the aerospace industry go hand in hand — both in their technological advances and their need for decently sized budgets to fund their projects, missions and contracts. Total military spending in 2017 came to $793.7 billion, and 2018’s budget increased the estimated budget level by an additional $52 billion.

One possible way to cut military and aerospace spending is to look into the inclusion of COTS parts. What are COTS parts, and how can they save the government money in the long run?

What Are COTS Parts?

COTS parts, short for commercial off-the-shelf parts, can help to reduce costs for both military and civilian applications. COTS power supplies, for example, have been used in the military and government applications since the 1990s. Today, these power supplies have been used for everything from mining and offshore drilling to automotive and rail applications. These parts are also being used more in C4ISR — command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance — applications for the Department of Defense.

COTS don’t have to be restricted to power supplies, though — any parts that are standardized but needed in large quantities can be purchased off the shelf and used in a variety of applications. While COTS parts are primarily used in military and aerospace products, they also have applications in civilian and commercial equipment.

Aerospace is a quickly growing industry, especially after the successful launch of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket early in February. SpaceX’s BFR is projected to turn space into a multi-trillion-dollar sector by 2030. Money saved by utilizing COTS parts can be used to help fuel innovation that could turn the human race into an interstellar species. We might not have a base on the moon quite yet, but if we can save money on fabricated parts, we might be able to afford one.

Benefits of COTS Parts

What are the benefits of using COTS parts? Some include:

Reduced Cost: For parts that don’t need to be customized or individually fabricated, off-the-shelf parts can help to reduce overall costs.

Reduced Production Times: If the individual parts don’t have to be built to order, they can be stocked and stored, ready for use. The parts then can be retrieved when needed rather than ordered.

Reduced Repair and Replacement Times: If a part fails, having off-the-shelf spares on hand can keep production on track by reducing the amount of time a piece of equipment is offline for repairs or part replacement.

Lower Initial Cost: COTS parts usually have a lower initial cost than parts that have to be custom fabricated.

Lower Maintenance Costs: Maintenance costs can be reduced with the use of COTS parts. These parts are often more cost-efficient to replace than to repair.

Disadvantages of COTS Parts

As with any cost-saving change, there are some disadvantages to using COTS parts in your equipment, including:

Lack of Customization: The whole idea behind COTS parts is that you can buy them off the shelf, so there’s no way to customize these items.

Lower Quality: While it’s not something that always occurs, there is still the chance that COTS parts may be lower quality than fabricated parts for the same application.

Integration Problems: Existing systems may not be compatible with COTS parts, requiring system modification that could interfere with standard system functions.

Threats to Military Innovation: There are some who believe relying on COTS parts can harm military innovation and progress. COTS could potentially slow military innovation by providing pre-made parts rather than requiring the invention and fabrication of new items.

COTS parts can reduce costs and improve production speeds while allowing you to provide the same goods and services you would offer otherwise. While there are some disadvantages to the use of COTS parts, they are vastly outweighed by the advantages. These parts can reduce military and aerospace spending while ensuring the same quality products are produced.

If you rely on expensive custom fabricated parts, it might be time to see if you can save money by switching to COTS parts.